Biography

Richard M. Joel was inaugurated as Yeshiva University’s fourth president on September 21, 2003, and was named Bravmann Family University Professor in April 2010. 

Founded in 1886, Yeshiva University was built and sustained by its previous three presidents, Dr. Bernard Revel (1915-1940), Dr. Samuel Belkin (1940-1975) and Dr. Norman Lamm (1976-2003). The latest chapter in this illustrious tradition, President Joel's tenure has been an era of growth for Yeshiva University defined by academic excellence, vibrant student life, and valuable service to the Jewish and wider communities. Speaking of a Yeshiva University education that ennobles and enables a generation of Jewish leadership, President Joel has led the "reimagination" of Yeshiva's curriculum, integrating depth and breadth in Jewish learning, responsibility for the Jewish people and humanity, and excellence in the liberal arts, business, and sciences. 

Prior to Yeshiva, President Joel served as the president and international director of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, driving an extraordinary renaissance of Jewish life on campuses around the world. During his tenure he built numerous new facilities, partnered in the creation of Birthright and focused the community on reaching Jewish youth through the engagement and empowerment models.  

He received his BA and JD from New York University where he was a Root-Tilden scholar and has received honorary doctorates from Boston Hebrew College and Gratz College. He was an assistant district attorney in New York, deputy chief of appeals in the Bronx, and Associate Dean and Professor of Law at YU’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

President Joel’s family has a deep connection to the Yeshiva University community. He and his wife, Esther, who holds a PhD from YU’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, have six children, all of whom have attended Yeshiva University.